Windows Overview

Bini.js allows you to build native Windows desktop applications using Tauri. Your React app is wrapped in a WebView2 binary, providing a native experience with full system access.

Requirements

Before building Windows apps, make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js 20.19.0 or higher
• Microsoft C++ Build Tools — Download
• Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime — Download

Native Windows

Build natively on Windows using the CLI. The development and build commands run directly on your Windows machine.

# Create a Windows project
npx create-bini-app@latest my-app --platform windows

# Navigate to project
cd my-app

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run tauri:dev

# Build the Windows executable
npm run tauri:build

The build output is a native Windows executable (.exe) with an installer.

macOS

Build Windows apps from macOS using GitHub Actions. This is the recommended approach for cross-platform builds.

# .github/workflows/build-windows.yml
name: Build Windows App

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build-windows:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      
      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '20'
          
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install
        
      - name: Build Windows app
        run: npm run tauri:build
        
      - name: Upload artifacts
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: windows-build
          path: src-tauri/target/release/*.exe

Linux

Build Windows apps from Linux using GitHub Actions. This is the recommended approach and is used by Tauri for cross-platform builds.

# .github/workflows/build-windows.yml
name: Build Windows App

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build-windows:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      
      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '20'
          
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install
        
      - name: Build Windows app
        run: npm run tauri:build
        
      - name: Upload artifacts
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: windows-build
          path: src-tauri/target/release/*.exe

Creating a Windows App

Create a new Bini.js project targeting Windows:

npx create-bini-app@latest my-app --platform windows

Or use the interactive prompt and select windows:

npx create-bini-app@latest

Development

Run your Windows app in development mode:

npm run tauri:dev

This launches your app in a native Windows window with:

• Hot reload for frontend changes
• Native window with system tray support
• Access to Windows APIs
• Devtools for debugging

Building

Build a distributable Windows executable:

npm run tauri:build

This creates a signed Windows installer in the src-tauri/target/release/ directory.

Code Signing

Bini.js supports Authenticode code signing for Windows binaries. Configure signing in src-tauri/tauri.conf.json:

{
  "tauri": {
    "bundle": {
      "windows": {
        "signing": {
          "certificate": {
            "path": "certificate.pfx",
            "password": "your-password"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

For GitHub Actions, you can use secrets for secure certificate storage:

# In GitHub Actions workflow
- name: Build Windows app
  env:
    CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.CERT_PASSWORD }}
  run: npm run tauri:build